A conversion to luxury condominiums in a restoration by Lucien Lagrange & Associates architects was announced in 2001, but never got off the ground.

The poet Carl Sandburg celebrated his 75th birthday in this hotel.

In 1920, the Republican Party met in the Blackstone Hotel and chose Warren Harding as its candidate for President. These meetings were the inspiration for the phrase "smoke-filled rooms", coined by a reporter covering the nomination process.

The hotel was sold again in December 2004 and will be restored as a Marriott Renaissance Hotel.

Chicago mayor Richard J. Daley used this hotel for several receptions, including his sons' weddings.